AfriGeneas World Research Forum

Ducking immigration? False names

I've been tracking my husband's paternal grandfather for a while now - and getting nowhere - but finally found him in 1930 census records this morning. It pays to go back and search again because the record I found wasn't in the last 10 searches I did, so ancsestry is uploading more records.

My husband's half sister's say that their grandfather was from India - but used someone else's papers (and name) to be in the US.

I've looked at his photo - and it's quite possible. I also know that people walk up to my husband and speak to him in both Hindi and Arabic.

I know he lived in Queens NY in the 1930's. Found an updated index listing today for a "John Mammel"

It looked like this:

Name: John Mammel
Age: 46 years
Estimated birth year: 1883
Birthplace: Minnesota
Relation to Head-of-house: Head
Race: Negro
Home in 1930: Queens, Queens, New York

I was looking for a John Manuel and sons Willow & Stanley, daughter Edith and wife Helen. They are all there.

All three children born PA.

Looking at the real census page "Minnesota" as a birthplace is actually "Manilla Phillipines".

Yikes!

The plot thickens

I think I've tracked John and Helen to PA - the record shifts again and so does the last name - now its "Manley" and John is mysteriously from VA.

Does anyone know if census takers actually looked at someone's papers when taking a census - or if they just accepted what someone told them was their birthplace?